Chapter Twenty-One
Erin left Rafe’s feeling worse than she had when she crawled out of bed. And considering the circumstances, that was pretty damn bad. Not only that, she’d managed to pick up an annoying shadow. She spun on her heel. “Are you going to follow me the whole way to the clinic?” she asked Lucas.
“Alpha’s orders. He wants a round-the-clock protection detail for you until he gets a handle on how to deal with the pack.”
“Can’t Rafe assign someone else to my detail then?”
“Like I’d let anyone else near you.”
Erin’s shoulders slumped as Lucas pointed out the obvious, but her wolf perked right up at the thought of spending as much time as she possibly could with Lucas by her side.
“Really? You’re happy about Rafe assigning a babysitter to watch over us?”
“It’s not like he stuck us with just any old wolf. Lucas is our mate. Why shouldn’t we be thankful?”
“Because he’s an asshole. That’s why.”
“You do realize I can hear your thoughts thanks to our mating connection, right?” Lucas quickly caught up with her.
“Thanks for reminding me. I’ll try to throw in a few more insults next time.”
A stray thought popped into Erin’s mind, one she hoped to conceal from Lucas. But the second the image of Calder being assigned to her guard duty flashed through her mind, a growl bubbled up from Lucas’ chest.
“You are my mate and I won’t allow it.”
“So now I’m your mate? Until when? The next time you get all pissed off when you remember I’m part witch and start calling me names? Thanks, I’ll pass on the back-and-forth bullshit if that’s okay with you.”
Lucas pulled Erin into his arms with a little more force than necessary. The second she opened her mouth to tell him off, his lips closed over hers.
Hot and warm and wet, he made Erin feel things no other man ever did. Need burned through her veins with each swipe of his tongue against hers. His hand curled through her hair, holding her captive.
Just as suddenly as the kiss started, Lucas ended it. Panting, he pulled away from her and stepped back. When she looked up and saw his eyes glowing with a passion reserved only for her, there was no denying he wanted Erin just as badly as she wanted him.
“That shouldn’t have happened.”
Erin shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t manhandle you and force my tongue down your throat. I specifically recall it being the other way around.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right. Odin forbid I should give you some of my witch cooties. Oh wait, I’m pretty sure I already did that when you barged into my apartment for a booty-call. Or don’t you remember that?”
“Of course I remember. How could I ever forget claiming the mate I’ve waited years to find, only to learn she was a witch?”
Biting her tongue until she tasted blood, Erin stepped closer to Lucas until she was nose to nose with him. “So that’s the only thing you remember about last night? You mean to tell me you don’t remember sliding your cock into me and telling me how good it felt? Or screaming my name? Repeatedly?”
She watched as his jaw clenched and the glow returned to his eyes. Mission accomplished.
“Too bad that will never happen again.” Erin did an about-face and left him standing there looking like the fool he had been acting.
A few minutes later, Erin heard footsteps behind her. She didn’t need to turn around to confirm that Lucas was once again hot on her tail. “Don’t stare at my ass the whole way.”
Lucas, for once, chose the smart path and kept his mouth shut. Which was perfectly fine by Erin. She could use a little peace and quiet, but her wolf decided otherwise.
“Why are you always so mean to our mate?”
“Because he’s an ass. We went over this earlier. Remember?”
“Maybe he just needs some time to adjust and accept us.”
Erin rolled her eyes at her wolf’s naiveté. As much as she wished it otherwise, Lucas wasn’t about to have a sudden change of heart when it came to the absolute fact that Erin was part witch.
Ahhh, blessed silence, Erin sighed when her wolf finally stopped nagging. More than anything, she needed to clear her head for a few minutes before her day started at the clinic. It took all her will, but she ignored the silent conversation Lucas hoped to start via their mating connection, and all the emotions that poured from his mind into hers. It wasn’t as if he were the only one whose heart felt like it was breaking in two. For the millionth time that morning, she asked herself why she couldn’t have had a mate that she could easily get along with. Instead of a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, she’d ended up with the ultimate high-maintenance mate, and she had zero energy or desire left to deal with him.
The remainder of the walk to the clinic was blissfully quiet and uneventful. Erin expected to see the lobby full upon her arrival. Instead, her mom stood there at the counter with her hands on her hips, looking like she’d seen better days.
“What’s going on, Mom? Are you okay?”
“You just had to show off your powers all over town this morning, didn’t you?”
“Mom, let me explain.”
“No, you let me explain something to you. Your little hissy fit on Main Street wasn’t just about you. It put all of us in jeopardy. I understand that you and your mate are fighting, but do you have any clue as to the shitstorm of trouble you’ve unleashed? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Mom, I—” Erin tried to explain but Brenna shut her down again.
“Your father and I have dedicated our lives to fitting in here at Black Paw, wanting nothing more than a secure and peaceful pack to live in while we raised our only daughter. We worked hard to fit in and gain the trust of the wolves here, and in less than a day, you’ve destroyed all our hard work. I thought you were mature enough for the binding spell to be removed, but I can see I was wrong.”
Erin hung her head in shame. Her mom was right, and she knew it. Her little temper tantrum affected her mom and dad as much as it affected her, if not more. If she had only taken a moment to think about someone other than herself, she wouldn’t be standing in the mess she found herself in. Instead of considering the repercussions on her family as a whole, she’d chosen the path to destruction. Had she been born with the gift of foresight, she probably would have held her shit together a little bit better. Unfortunately, she couldn’t take back what had already been done. Life just didn’t work that way.
“Rafe thinks if we just give the pack time, they will accept us for who we are. Isn’t that better than living a lie and hiding in the shadows?”
“Look around you, baby girl. This place is empty. None of our appointments for the morning showed up—and in case you haven’t noticed, neither did any of the staff. The wolves will never be okay with us being witches. Why would you expect them to accept us when your own mate won’t?”
Then Brenna turned her attention to Lucas. “Why are you even here?” she demanded. “Haven’t you tormented my daughter enough?”
Erin answered for Lucas. “He’s here on Rafe’s orders. Apparently, I need round-the-clock protection.”
Brenna snorted. “Yeah, your father’s in the breakroom. He’s following me around like a lost puppy dog now. Now I know what the text this morning from Rafe was about. I’m so glad these men think we need protectors.” Brenna’s laughter came to an abrupt halt.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Her mother turned to face her, with tears in her eyes. “There is no one who can protect or save us if my coven finds out where we are. Mariska will personally see to our slaughter—and all those we hold dear.”
“Who is Mariska? And why are you so afraid of her?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I smell blood. Someone’s coming.” Lucas jumped from the chair he occupied and sprinted to the door, leaving Erin’s question unanswered.
A man ran inside carrying
his pregnant wife, only to come to a dead stop as soon as he saw Erin and Brenna in the lobby. “Is there anyone here who can help my mate? She’s bleeding.”
“Right this way.” Erin led the man and woman to the exam room. “Lay her down gently on the table.”
The man did as Erin instructed, but refused to let her or Brenna near his mate. “Is there anyone here who isn’t a witch who can help my mate?”
Erin sucked in a deep breath. “You do realize that this is our clinic and we are the only doctors in this entire town.”
“And that I’ve been running this clinic, and saving the lives of countless wolves, since before you were born,” Brenna added.
“My baby!” The woman cried out in pain. “Dale, please let them help our baby. I can’t feel him anymore. I can’t feel my wolf either.”
“The more time we waste arguing, the more your mate and baby suffer.” Erin gave the man a firm stare.
“Can you help?” Dale asked in a shaky voice.
“If you’ll let me.”
He nodded and slowly backed away from the table.
Erin waved her hands over the woman’s stomach, concentrating her energy on the baby, trying to get a feel for what was going on. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“She woke up this morning covered in blood,” the man rushed to explain.
“How far along is the pregnancy?” Brenna asked.
“She’s seven and a half months.”
“Lucas, we need your help in here,” Erin called to her mate.
“What’s wrong with her? Is my son going to be all right?”
“The placenta has separated. The baby isn’t getting enough oxygen. We have to deliver the baby now.”
“What do you need me to do?” Lucas asked as he entered the room.
Erin looked to her mate. “I need you to watch over Dale and make sure he doesn’t interfere. I can’t use regular old-fashioned medicine if I want to save his mate or their baby. She’s lost a lot of blood and her wolf is about to die. Same with the baby.”
“What do you mean?” Dale yelled.
Lucas grabbed the man as he charged for Erin.
“It means that if you want your mate and baby to live, you need to sit down and be quiet!”
“What’s your name, sweetie?” Brenna asked the woman.
“Kata.”
“Kata, I need you to be strong right now. I know you’re scared, but I will do everything in my power to get you and your baby through this. I’m sure you know that I’m part witch.”
Kata nodded.
“I have to use the power inside me to help you. It’s the only thing that’ll save both you and your baby. If you were human, I could give you drugs to knock you out and deliver the baby via C-section, but because you’re a wolf, we don’t have that option. If you try to have this baby via traditional vaginal delivery, you and your baby will die. So I need you to drink this. It’s going to make you sleepy, and you won’t feel any pain. If you don’t drink it, you’ll be awake when we make the incision.” Erin pulled a small vial filled with a yellow liquid from the cabinet.
“What the hell is that?” Dale asked. “You better not be using none of that hocus-pocus witchcraft shit on my mate.”
Ignoring the gibe, Erin watched as Kata swallowed the potion. Within seconds her eyes closed.
Erin placed her hand inches away from Kata’s round stomach. She sucked in a deep breath, channeling all of her energy to the dying baby inside his mother’s womb.
Brenna stood beside Erin, a scalpel in her hand, ready to make the lifesaving incision as soon as she was given the go-ahead. When her daughter gave the silent nod, Brenna made the critical cut.
Her hands glowing with power, Erin carefully reached in and pulled the baby from his cozy little nest. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you out of here and introduce you to your parents.” Erin’s voice was gentle and soothing as she cleaned the baby off.
“Why isn’t he crying?” Dale shouted.
Erin concentrated on the baby. “Mom, I need you to put a little bit of the potion in a medicine dropper.”
Brenna nodded, quickly filling a dropper with the potion and handing it to Erin.
“Dale, I need you to be calm. I’m going to need your help for this part. Can you do that?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Erin wrapped the baby in a towel and placed him in his father’s arms.
“Hold him steady, just like this.”
“Okay.”
When Dale had a firm grip on his son, Erin massaged the baby’s lips with the dropper until she was able to squirt a tiny amount of the potion into his mouth. She massaged his cheeks back and forth before gently running the tips of her glowing fingers over the baby’s throat. She closed her eyes and said a prayer to Freyja. Within moments, she was rewarded with the high-pitched cries of the newborn baby.
“There, there, little guy,” Erin said in a calming voice before directing her attention to Dale. “This potion will ensure your baby will grow to be healthy and strong, despite being born prematurely.”
“Can I hold my baby?” Kata asked in a weak voice, slowly waking up from the potion.
“Kata, oh Kata! He’s so perfect.” Dale walked slowly to his mate, as if carrying the most precious package in the world. With the entirety of his attention focused on Erin and his son, Dale hadn’t noticed the healing his mate had received at the skilled hands of Brenna.
A few stray tears made their way down Erin’s cheek as Kata held her son for the first time.
“Good job.” Lucas ran a comforting hand over her shoulder. She’d forgotten he was even in the room.
“Thanks.” Erin wiped the tears away and approached the happy family, not wanting to linger on Lucas’ thoughts or words.
“How are you feeling, Kata? Can you feel your wolf again?”
Kata closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes, I can feel her again. She’s tired but there. I guess we’re both tired.”
“What you’re feeling is normal after what you’ve gone through. If we had waited any longer, your wolf spirit would have separated from your body. The same thing was about to happen to your baby.”
“Have you picked out a name for your little guy yet?” Brenna asked.
Kata looked up at Dale and smiled. “Vali.”
“It’s a very fitting name. You can see that he is already powerful and strong, to have survived an ordeal like this at such an early age.”
Dale glanced at Brenna in surprise. “You’re versed in Norse traditions? Even though you’re a witch?”
“Of course I am. Our majik isn’t so different.”
“How so?” Dale asked.
Brenna leaned against the small counter in the room. “The majik that runs through your veins is a gift from Odin. He bestowed the power of the wolf-shifter, along with the Berserker rage, upon the men of his choosing. Some women were also given the gift of the wolf, along with special gifts of their own. Correct?”
Kata was first to answer. “You mean like foresight, healing, and so on?”
Brenna nodded in agreement. “Exactly. The majik that runs through my veins and Erin’s is a gift from Freyja. For those of us with a pure Norse background, she is our creator, our mother, and our protector. Without her, we would not exist.”
“She is also Odin’s most trusted and beloved,” Erin whispered, her comment directed at Lucas.
“But what about the witches who attacked Black Paw all those years ago and killed our wolves?”
“Sadly, they possess the same majik I do. Some are more powerful than me, some less. Like the wolves that attacked us over Yule, it has very little to do with the majik they were born with, but rather with how they choose to use it. Some people are good. Some are bad. It makes little difference whether they are witches or wolves, or a mix of both. Our powers should never be used to take a life unless it is in self-defense.”
Deep in thought, Dale paused for a few moments, considering Brenna’s explanation before
speaking. “With the love that Odin holds for Freyja, I’m surprised there aren’t more wolf-witch matings.”
Erin opened her mating connection to Lucas—something she probably shouldn’t have done, but damn it, she wanted to know what he thought about the conversation. Besides, she was a nosey bitch.
Watching paint dry might have been a more exciting use of her time. Not a single thought or emotion that she could discern popped into his head.
“Do you feel strong enough to shift and finish healing?” Brenna asked Kata.
“Yep, I should be able to.” Kata gently threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood. A little shaky on her feet, but not bad, all things considered. A quick shift to her wolf, then back to human, was all it took for the spring to appear back in her step.
“I can’t possibly thank you both enough for what you’ve done for my family. I’m sorry about being a jerk earlier.” Dale stood and hugged Erin and Brenna.
“I’m glad we could help. That’s what we’re here for.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Talk about a fucking head trip. After witnessing the scene at the clinic, Lucas didn’t know which way was up.
The witch issue had always been black and white with him. Witches were motherfucking monsters. It was a fact. Plain and simple. One he had accepted when they’d slaughtered his family, and he had vowed to Odin that he would seek revenge the very next time witches crossed his path.
As if in jest, or perhaps as a punishment, the Fates dangled his mate—beautiful and luscious with all her fantastic curves—right in front of his nose. The only caveat: She was half-witch. The Fates took his torment one step further by making sure she possessed a passion that scorched with a single touch, boundless compassion for others, and an inner strength to rival his Berserker rage.
She was everything he had ever wanted in a mate—and everything he had vowed to destroy.
Fur Ever Witched (Black Paw Pack Book 2) Page 10
